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TampicoMadero

Oct 9, 2010, 9:10 PM

Post #1 of 7 (5738 views)

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FM2 Renewal Question

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My FM2 will expire on December 17, 2010. It says I can renew it 30 days before that date but I am leaving in early November for Texas and will be back after it expires.

Can I ask to renew it before the 30 days?

What happens if I return with an expired FM2?

Another issue is that the Immigration office here in Tampico usually closes for three weeks during the Christmas holiday so it would be three weeks before I could see anybody.

Do you think I could do anything in Texas since I already have an FM2?

Thanks!

Rolly

Oct 9, 2010, 10:02 PM

Post #2 of 7 (5724 views)

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Re: [TampicoMadero] FM2 Renewal Question

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Go to your INM office to see what they can do for you.
They are the only people who can answer your questions.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

gpkgto

Oct 10, 2010, 8:17 AM

Post #3 of 7 (5683 views)

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Re: [TampicoMadero] FM2 Renewal Question

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Rolly's answer is the first step. If the INM insists on maintaining the 30 day application window, ask how much the multa/fine is for being late--it may be easier to just apply when you return and pay the fine. There could also be an issue at the border if you try to enter on an expired FM2.

bournemouth

Oct 10, 2010, 9:00 AM

Post #4 of 7 (5666 views)

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Re: [gpkgto] FM2 Renewal Question

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Or the OP could hand in his FM2 as he leaves the country, returning on an FMM which means he then has 30 days from his arrival date to apply for a new FM2 - but, nothing beats actually talking to your local INMM office to get their take on the situation.

Peter

Oct 10, 2010, 10:50 AM

Post #5 of 7 (5636 views)

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Re: [TampicoMadero] FM2 Renewal Question

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My FM2 will expire on December 17, 2010. It says I can renew it 30 days before that date but I am leaving in early November for Texas and will be back after it expires.

Sure, check first with INM but just off-hand I'm thinking the advice you got about handing in your FM2 when leaving the country and returning on an FMM may be a good option for you. I don't recall the exact time limits but it seems your itinerary as you describe the time you intend to be away may invalidate your FM2 anyway.

Perhaps your situation, with extended vacations out of the country, is better suited for having an FM3. You would still have to renew each year but if you restart the process after the holiday season after you return you may stand a better chance of being in Mexico each year at your new renewal time and with an FM3 you can be out of the country all the time you care to. FM2 seems to be the road to permanent residency with no other advantages, just more time constraints, more costly, and has higher income requirements.

Papirex

Oct 10, 2010, 12:04 PM

Post #6 of 7 (5623 views)

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Re: [TampicoMadero] FM2 Renewal Question

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Rolly's answer is good, however, if you know of a good reasonably priced facilitator it might be a good idea to engage h/is/er services.

The Gerente of the immigration office we used to have here was so crooked that she demanded a bribe to do anything she was supposed to do. She was fired a few years ago. I never pay bribes, so I lived here illegally with an expired FM3 for three years. I finally hired a lawyer to straighten things out. He was expensive at a $5,000 Peso fee, but the fines for being late were reduced so that they cost me less in total than the yearly renewal fees would have cost for the missed years.

They did not issue me a new FM3 but simply typed in an explanation on one of the pages in it. My lawyer told me that we must never, ever tell The INM that anything was ever their fault. So I had to play a dummy (not hard for me to do) and pretend that I didn't know I was supposed to renew my visa every year.

I had the same FM3 for eight years, it expired every October. When I changed to an FM2 visa last year, I used a very good facilitator. They started taking their Christmas vacations early in the local INM office, and my facilitator called me every week to tell me it would be one more week before my FM2 was ready. He told me that as long as I applied for a renewal on time, I was legal,and if I wanted to take a trip out of the country, he could get a letter of permission from The INM. The fact that I had applied for renewal in a timely fashion kept me legal until I got my new visa.

I didn't get my new FM2 until November, it now expires every November instead of in October. No problem for me with late fines, as it was INM's fault that it was late, and I had applied for a renewal on time.

They do things differently in virtually all federal agencies and offices here, so you, or a professional will need to visit your local INM office to find out how your case will be handled.

There is certainly a legal solution.

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

gpkgto

Oct 11, 2010, 11:52 AM

Post #7 of 7 (5529 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] FM2 Renewal Question

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Every INM office is different. In the state of Guanajuato, if you give up your FM2, you have to do the entire 5-years of FM3 again before you can re-apply for an FM-2.